Providing Critical Services and Guidance for Veterans

“Jessica,” a single mother and veteran with severe disabilities related to her service, was already navigating a precarious financial position in December 2023 when she received an eviction notice followed by a court summons seeking her eviction. Unable to continue her prior career because of her debilitating conditions, she was cobbling together benefits from the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and child support to make ends meet. Yet because her daughter’s father was thousands of dollars behind in child support payments, Jessica had few assets to draw on when faced with the possible loss of housing.

As the eviction dispute escalated, Jessica anxiously sought help at a Veterans Legal Services (VLS) clinic largely staffed by Mintz volunteers at the Brockton VA Medical Center, about 25 miles south of Boston. Moved by Jessica’s vulnerable situation, a Mintz team banded together to address a number of legal and benefits-related issues. Over several weeks, they helped her secure dismissal of the eviction case, gain access to a housing subsidy, prepare legal filings to recover the past child support, and qualify for the VA’s vocational rehabilitation program. With the stability and resources to move forward with her life, Jessica is preparing for law school so she can give back to other veterans.

The matter arose through an initiative, spearheaded by former Mintz attorneys Drew DeVoogd and Daniel Weinger, to reignite the firm’s collaboration with Boston-based VLS after the pandemic. With extensive assistance from Mintz attorney Michael Pollack and Senior Project Analyst Olivia Cohen, they organized regular clinics at the VA health center in Brockton to help VLS begin working through a significant waiting list of veterans who needed help. And after volunteering at clinics for several months, Mintz attorney Amanda Metell joined Michael on the leadership team in the summer of 2024.

The firm has hosted 10 clinics from November 2023 through June 2024, which have been staffed by nearly 30 Mintz attorneys, Project Analysts, and staff members. The clinic volunteers met with veterans and their families to gather information and provide counseling and referrals on a wide array of legal matters involving divorce, custody, consumer debt, housing and evictions, estate issues, administrative appeals, and federal and state benefits, among other issues.

Michael, who is in the Army National Guard, said his military experience has been particularly helpful in assisting veterans navigating challenging legal issues in the civilian world, which has been a very fulfilling experience.

For a lot of the people that we see, it’s the first time they’ve made an effort to address some of these really emotional, challenging, and complicated situations in their lives. It’s a major step forward for them to show up.

Michael A. Pollack, Mintz Associate

To date, Mintz volunteers have assisted 104 veterans.

Through a similar partnership with The Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program in Washington, DC, Mintz runs a virtual intake and referral clinic for veterans that addresses similar concerns. Over four sessions, volunteer attorneys and professionals from six of the firm’s offices, along with Mintz Summer Associates and legal teams from several in-house clients, have conducted assessment interviews and provided referrals for about 90 veterans.

During a remote clinic in June 2024, New York attorney Talia Weseley provided resources to a number of veterans, including an individual entangled in a long-running child custody dispute, as well as someone who was browbeaten by a mechanic who had overcharged him for a faulty automobile repair. When the car broke down again shortly after being serviced, the mechanic demanded more money to fix it. Lacking reliable transportation, the veteran missed out on job opportunities, so he ultimately sought help at a different car repair shop, spending thousands of dollars in the process. For each of the matters, Talia directed the prospective clients to DC-area legal services organizations furnished by The Veterans Consortium, providing valuable leads and hope to people who often feel like they don’t have a voice.

Not only were we making them feel heard, we gave them resources that they otherwise would not have known about or had access to.

Talia R. Weseley, Mintz Associate

Volunteering for Veterans

Outside of the pro bono work the firm does to support legal clinics, several Mintz attorneys also champion veterans’ causes through volunteer work and board service for nonprofits supporting former service members.